Selena Gomez’s “Good For You” Is ‘Average for You’ At Best

There are many times when being an objective music critic/journalist is tough – let’s keep it totally real people! Going into a new Selena Gomez single/song/album is particularly arduous, mainly because she just doesn’t appeal to me personally. While every critic has biases just like some fans love one genre/artist and loathe another, in the case of Ms. Gomez, some personal criticisms are indeed legitimate criticisms within her work. So in other words, if you are big Selena Gomez fan and you are expecting high praise for “Good For You” from Brent Faulkner, well – look elsewhere. IT AIN’T HAPPENING!!!

“Good For You” is pleasant, but nothing more. Overall, it’s an average, urban-pop record at best and maybe that’s being generous. It’s not horrible or cringe worthy, so there’s a pro. Another pro is that arguably, it’s not nearly as annoyingly bad as her Rihanna copycat joint “Come & Get It.” See – it’s the little victories! BUT…there’s little substance or depth about “Good For You” PERIOD. The song title is predictable, and the song does nothing to eradicate that predictable predictability – Ha! After listening, what is ultimately gained? Not one [bleeping] thing.

Face it, the songwriting is one dimensional to the nth degree – it has no aspiration to feed the listener with something beyond the cliché and commonplace. Honestly, how many songs have revolved around the same idea of the girl looking her best so she can impress her man and ultimately, um “make it do what it do”? Too many! If you’re an artist and you are going with ‘tried and true,’ shouldn’t you distinguish your tried and true from everybody else’s? Doesn’t Kelly Rowland have a couple of songs in this same vein? “Motivation” and “Kisses Down Low?” Aren’t both sexier?

Then there’s A$AP Rocky thrown in aka rapper meant to add some swagger this so-so, unoriginal pop record. Yes, roll your eyes – I am rolling mine in the back of my head! A$AP Rocky is a great collaborator, but even he can’t save this one. Most of his verse is too R-rated for a Gomez record and just doesn’t fit with the perception of who Gomez is. Does anyone honestly believe that Selena Gomez is going to act this way, Spring Breakers film, Justin “Swaggy” Bieber-ex or not? NO! This my friends, leads me to my final point of this sermon before I take my seat – let the church say AMEN!

Who in the world is Selena Gomez as an artist? What is her artistic lane supposed to be? You can argue the questionable song writing and the ill-fitting rhymes from A$AP Rocky all the day long, but the ultimate problem comes back to Gomez. She REALLY needs to define herself artistically or embrace a direction and roll with it. The music that she’s releasing isn’t accomplishing this, and ultimately, this can make or break an artist in the long run.

No, Gomez isn’t a prodigious vocalist, but she’s admitted this herself. There are folks that can sing rings around her, but that’s arguably only on part of the problem (Notice I didn’t say that it wasn’t a problem). She needs to use what she has, but she also needs to make people believe it, and that’s clearly not happened yet. Do I believe in Selena Gomez? Do you really want me to answer that question? Of course you don’t.

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[…] Typically, once a week or whereabouts, brentmusicreviews.com devotes a post to other musicians – established, burgeoning, or amateurs – covering a current pop hit. Up until this point, the songs represented have all been by guys. Another notable fact is that they have all been songs that yours truly – the one and only Brent Faulkner – considered one of his jams of the moment. This week’s pick is different – it’s an artist and a song that yours truly is a bit skeptical of. […]

Tha songs of hers that I like are , Good For u Love Song, Same old Love is ok, too BECAUSE THEY ALL HAVE MELODY
Same reason I like the Weekend’s I Feel it Coming song..Mmelody on point….MJ, Madge, Usher, Ne-Yo, JT, Rhianna, Most often Gaga sing Alot of songs with dope melodies .. Is Selena Mariah Carey, no…But neither am I. I’m fiercly critical of music and those 3 Selena Gomez songs r still better than some of Tha yawns I’ve heard on Tha radio as of past few years….Give me Melody or give me Death..